A weekly address from Patrick Adams,
President of St. Louis Community Credit Union

Let’s Get Back to Nice

Twitter is mean-spirited and displays a well-thought-out tactical nastiness for most of its users. This generation of pop culture spends painstaking time hiding behind a made-up handle that allows for total anonymity in order to actively seek to subvert all that is good in the world. When one’s mind is focused on crafting some vile retort to what’s trending, then being nice is far from conscious thought.

Yes, I said the word “nice.” Just be nice. Apparently, nice is antithetical to the political aspirations brought to millions of TV viewers every day, resulting in the proliferation of new levels of vitriol. What I’m trying to say is that people appear to be on edge to an even greater degree than normal, which is saying something given that the world (Twitter, TV, and otherwise) would appear (more times than not) to exist only for the sole purpose of taking people to that frenzied place of pure nastiness. Yes, here we are, being nastier than ever.

Look, as citizens of the greatest country ever formed, we are ready to cast our votes, and vote we must. But what is leading up to the vote is reality TV unrestrained, followed by millions of tweets regurgitating the opinion of somebody hiding behind the green curtain whose job it is to perpetuate ugliness. Debates, commercials and tweets — take your pick — have furthered the idea that in order to get ahead in a political race, one must be mean, ghastly, creepy and dastardly. (I cut the list short, due to time and space constraints.) It happens on both sides of the aisle — every four years about this time.

What I’m trying to say is: Enough already. Let’s get back to nice.

At the beginning of this decade, two Brits decided to look at the effects of engaging in small, daily acts of kindness — you know, being nice. They put the results in the Journal of Social Psychology (a publication never found in a dentist office or on my reading list). There was clear evidence that when one did kind things, with habit, we thought of ourselves as much happier. BINGO!!!

Your turn. Be nice for a week and see how you feel. My guess is that you will be happier. Put down the Twitter machine and pick-up a person’s spirits by saying something nice, buying lunch or complimenting their attire. When we’re nice, we don’t have to hide behind some made-up handle. That, in and of itself, is reason enough to give it a try.

Truly, being a nice person would not be a bad legacy to have. Be known for your cheerful interaction with friends and strangers alike.

Whatever is going on to get one person elected over another, one must resist joining in on Twitter or otherwise. Just be nice. It’s easier than you might think.

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Patrick has been employed with St. Louis Community Credit Union for over 20 years. As part of a great team of credit union professionals, SLCCU has grown about 400% during
those years. The credit union emphasizes member service and is proud of helping to increase its members' standard of living. Patrick is proud to be associated with over 100 employees who have a laser-like focus on service to our members. Learn More at StLouisCommunity.com